1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a bucket elevator for conveying product, such as grain, and more particularly to a bucket elevator including a new and improved bucket mounted on an endless link chain, as well as a new and novel method of making same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Farm combines are typically provided with elevators for conveying farm product, such as grain or beans, from one level to another level. Such elevators have heretofore included a hollow elevator casing mounting an internal divider plate spanning the sidewalls of the casing, and a pair of sprocket wheels, around which is trained an endless link chain having a plurality of links which ride on the internal divider wall. One standard farm combine conveyor includes a plurality of upright paddles mounted on the links. Typically, the paddles project upwardly from the chain and push the beans or other farm product upwardly through the elevator casing for eventual discharge at the upper end thereof. Such paddles are resilient and yield to dirt and moisture. Moreover, such chain conveyors, mounting upright paddles, result in substantial friction and rubbing of the product as the paddles pass through the product.
One of the most serious drawbacks of this prior art construction is that there is a gap between the underside of the upwardly projecting paddles and the internal divider plate of the elevator casing. Accordingly, the paddles pass over a portion of the beans or other farm product lying on the divider plate, whereby a portion of the product remains in the casing. If the remaining product is subjected to moisture, the product will harden and will interfere with the proper operation of the conveyor.
Moreover, such paddle-type conveyors have a limited capacity because the paddles are not in wiping engagement with the inner wall or plate of the elevator casing. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and novel bucket elevator having an increased capacity.
It has been found that a conveyor mounting buckets instead of paddles is substantially more effective, particularly for edible beans, as the buckets carry the beans as opposed to the paddles which push the beans. Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide a new and novel bucket for a bucket elevator.
Chain-mounted buckets have been provided in various shapes and configurations, such as those illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 448,699, issued to T. J. Underwood on Mar. 24, 1891; U.S. Pat. No. 2,919,792, issued to D. W. Kirkhart, et al on Jan. 5, 1960; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,944,657, issued to D. A. Davis, et al on Jul. b 12, 1960.
The buckets such as disclosed in the aforementioned Davis, et al patent are relatively complex and expensive to manufacture. Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide a new and novel bucket and bucket elevator which is relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture and install.
One of the problems associated with the manufacture and use of bean elevators is the inadvertent passage of the product being conveyed to a position between the sidebars of the chain link, whereby the beans are ground between the links and the sprocket wheel. This results in a loss of product, as well as creating foreign matter which contaminates the product and interferes with the proper operation of the conveyor. Accordingly, it is yet another object of the present invention to provide a new and novel bucket elevator, including a new wheel bucket having mechanism for inhibiting the passage of the product being conveyed to a position between the side bars of the chain links.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and novel bucket for a bucket elevator which will be self-cleaning to minimize the accumulation of product being conveyed on the divider wall provided in the elevator casing.
Another problem closely attendant thereto is the undesirable collection of the product being conveyed between the laterally outer sides of the chain links and the adjacent portions of the bucket. The collected product is ground into small particles to contaminate the product and inhibit the free and proper operation of the chain. Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide a new and novel bucket for a bucket elevator, whereby the bottom wall of the bucket abuts laterally opposite sides of the chain link on which it is mounted to inhibit the passage of the product between the bottom wall and the chain link.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and novel bucket elevator including a new and novel bucket and a new and novel cover for each link of a bucket carrying link chain.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a new and novel method of making a bucket and a bucket elevator of the type described.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a new and novel method of making a bucket for a bucket elevator, including the step of forming a chain link cover by severing the wall of a receptacle to form a top and then displacing the top out of the plane of the receptacle.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art as the description thereof proceeds.